Yes, but if you have 5 > 3, you can read the “>” in two different ways:
- 5 is greater than 3 (reading left to right)
- 3 is less than 5 (reading right to left)
So which one is the correct way to spell out “>”? I also was confused about that for some time, since I was taught that the pointy end always points to the smaller number which is intuitive and can very easily be remembered, but I still had to memorize which symbol is pronounced as “less than” and which is pronounced as “greater than” until I realized that at least in every language I speak it’s always read from left to right.
It still takes a bit of a second for me once in a while these days to remember the correct name for the signs when I see them.
The way my mind works is I find it faster to reconstruct the meaning every time rather than attempt to memorize which one is said which way.
Example: 3<5
My mind:
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3 is the small number / 5 is the large number.
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How do I say that in a sentence?
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Three is less than five.
I do the math, not remember the definition.
I don’t understand where you’re coming from. In my mind it’s so straight forward
If english is your first and main language, then there is no confusion mapping “less than” → <, and “greater than” → >.
If english is not your first and main language, then you might hesitate or ask for clarification on the symbols, or guess from the context.
At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter if you write 3 < 5 or 5 > 3, nor does it matter if you say “3 is less than 5” or “5 is greater than 3.” Read it however you want, provided you convey accurate information.
However, if you don’t know the meaning of the symbol (i.e. if you see x < y and aren’t sure whether x or y is bigger), then we have a problem.